The present invention relates to a convertible length garment which has a detachable extension portion. The garment may be worn as a short jacket, or the extension portion may be extended from the bottom of the jacket so that the jacket is converted to a long coat.
Coats which are convertible in length are known in the prior art. (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,573,218; 4,232,402; 2,349,035; 2,320,783; and 2,437,223, for example.) However, when the extension portion is circumferential, the prior art provides only for circumferential folding of the extension portion (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,573,218 and 2,349,035). Thus, the sides and front of the garment are made bulkier and less attractive when the garment is worn as a short jacket with the extension portion folded inside. Further, prior art convertible jackets which have circumferential extension portions are inflexible in that they were either designed to be completely detached from the jacket door to be folded into the jacket, but were not designed to accommodate both uses as desired by the wearer.
An objective of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages, by providing a jacket having a detachable, circumferential extension portion which is easily folded so that the garment can be converted simply from a long coat to a short jacket.
Another objective is to provide an outerwear garment having an extension portion which is also easily detachable from the jacket portion.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a jacket that does not have unsightly bulkiness on the front and sides of the jacket when the extension portion is folded into the jacket.
These and other objectives are attained in the present invention by providing a jacket with an upper body portion having a lower end and a back jacket panel, and a lower extension portion having at least two extension panels. The lower extension portion is detachably connected to the upper body portion lower end such that the lower extension portion forms a circumferential extension of the upper body portion in an unfolded position.
In certain preferred embodiments, the lower extension portion has two side extension panels and a center extension panel. Both of the side extension panels are folded onto the center extension panel, and the panels are then folded against the back jacket panel. A feature of certain preferred embodiments are the use of hook and loop fasteners for securing the side extension panels to the center extension panel and all of the extension panels to the back jacket panel when they are placed into the folded position. The hook and loop fasteners provide quick and easy fastening of the side extension panels to the center extension panel so that the extension portion may be folded as a unit and secured to the back jacket panel.
By providing a multi-panel extension, with the panels foldable onto each other, which are then folded onto the back jacket panel, a jacket is provided which will not have unsightly bulkiness on its front and sides when the extension portion is folded into the upper jacket portion. Further, the garment construction allows for either complete detachment of the extension portion, or carrying of the extension portion folded into the jacket without detracting from the aesthetic qualities of the jacket.
Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, which depict for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment constructed in accordance with the present invention.